Chapter 16 Vocab Flashcards
Waste
Material outputs from a system that are not useful or consumed.
Planned obsolescence
Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions.
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Refuse collected by municipalities from households, small businesses, and institutions.
Waste stream
The flow of solid waste that is recycled, incinerated, placed in a solid waste landfill, or disposed of in another way.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
the fundamentals taught in elementary school especially reading, writing, and arithmetic. the fundamental skills in a field of endeavor.
source reduction
The reduction of waste through minimizing the use of materials destined to become municipal solid waste (MSW) from the early stages of design and manufacture.
reuse
reusing a soon-to-be discarded product or material
recycling
The process by which materials destined to become municipal solid waste (MSW) are collected and converted into raw material that is then used to produce new objects.
closed-loop recycling
Recycling a product into the same product.
open-loop recycling
Recycling one product into a different product.
composting
organic material that has decomposed under controlled conditions to produce an organic-rich material
leachate
the water that leaches through the solid waste and removes various chemical compounds with which it comes into contact
sanitary landfill
An engineered ground facility designed to hold municipal solid waste (MSW) with as little contamination of the surrounding environment as possible.
tipping fee
A fee charged for disposing of material in a landfill or incinerator.
siting
The designation of a landfill location, typically through a regulatory process involving studies, written reports, and public hearings.
incineration
The process of burning waste materials to reduce volume and mass, sometimes to generate electricity or heat.
ash
The residual nonorganic material that does not combust during incineration.
bottom ash
Residue collected at the bottom of the combustion chamber in a furnace.
fly ash
The residue collected from the chimney or exhaust pipe of a furnace.
waste-to-energy
the process of generating in the form of electricity and/or heat from the incineration of.
hazardous waste
Waste material that is dangerous or potentially harmful to humans or ecosystems.
superfund act
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a 1980 U.S. federal act that imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries, funds the cleanup of abandoned and nonoperating hazardous waste sites, and authorizes the federal government to respond directly to the release or threatened release of substances that may pose a threat to human health or the environment.
brownfields
contaminated industrial or commercial sites that may require environmental cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded
life-cycle analysis
A systems tool that looks at the materials used and released throughout the manufacturing, use, and disposal of a product; also known as life-cycle analysis.
integrated waste management
A waste management technique that employs several waste reduction, management, and disposal strategies to reduce the environmental impact of municipal solid waste (MSW).
